Historical Use

• The light microscope has been in use since the 17th century when the basics of cell biology were discovered after examination of various types of cells, such as cork cells and blood cells, under early light microscopes.
  
  

Limitations

• The resolution of the light microscope is limited by the nature of light. It cannot resolve objects smaller than the wavelength of visible light. Objects such as individual atoms can only be scanned by electron microscopes, which fire electrons at the object to be scanned.
  
  

Current Use

• Light microscopes are relatively inexpensive and easy to use, which cannot be said of electron microscopes. They are used to examine individual cells, such as a biopsy taken during surgery or to check for the presence of analytical dye markers. Light microscopes can also see and examine the movement of individual cells, such as protozoans and sperm cells.